


Homestyle

by joouheika



Series: Homestyle [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/883751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joouheika/pseuds/joouheika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a really good cook. Lives are changed. Some ruined forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homestyle

**Author's Note:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [Homestyle I](http://yvonnewuuuu.lofter.com/post/25682a_eed954c) by [EveWuu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/EveWuu/pseuds/EveWuu)

It really doesn’t matter that Jean has no recollection of what the bet had been.

All that matters is the fact that he’d won and Eren, loud ideal driven mainly loud obnoxious annoyed the fuck out of him every time they were in the same vicinity (which was every goddamn day) as the other Eren had lost the bet. Jean at least does remember what losing entails, while it was customary they all worked, the entire trainee squad did- on cooking their meals together (teamwork and practicality and all that) they decided that whoever lost would have to cook dinner for a day for the entire squad. For every. Single. Person.

Alone.

In a frilly pink apron they still weren’t entirely sure where it had come from but they’d found it and it was perfect.

And that had been that and Jean had won!

Jean had not only forgotten what the bet had been on but he’d also forgotten when the loser (Eren) would be making such a dinner, so when Jean comes for dinner rather belatedly today (he’d gotten a lot of muck to wash off from training, more so than usual) he is really confused.

For one when he walked into the mess hall the mess hall smells good.

It smells like the kind of food your mother would make you after a long day of all those chores you better do… (not even well but you had to do them) the kind of aroma if your mother knew how to cook (there are many reasons Jean wants to work in the inner most inner, sticking with the uppers meant upper food alright?)

The source of this smell is the chicken (yes actual meat tonight) potato stew that’d been cooked. Served with some foraged greens (and mushrooms) and freshly baked rye bread that didn’t break your teeth when you ate it, and you didn’t even have to dip it in the stew to prevent that.

But even after all that, the real topper is the giant mountain of apple tarts Mikasa brings from the kitchen on an extremely large tray.

Jean is pretty sure Connie is going to cry and Sasha is definitely crying.

They’d been stuffing themselves silly, desperately trying to eat as much as they could and making a mess and then cleaning up the mess they’d made by eating the mess because nothing was to be wasted. 

Reiner and Bertholdt are off in their usual corner, big guys like them Jean always figured would eat a lot but they were always so considerate of everyone and ate the same amount- but tonight they’d had two bowls. They are (least Reiner is) trying to engage Annie in their dinner conversation but she is really seriously eating her food (and not in the I’m ignoring you way she did with everyone and everything. She just really wants to eat all of her food. Now). 

Sasha miraculously swipes one of those apple tarts and swiftly Ymir steals it from her and is now feeding it to Krista. Sasha is absolutely aghast but still trying to finish her lost count bowl of stew and is torn between what she can do.

Marco has saved him a bowl and it is a miracle there is still any food left if it is this good and with all these gluttons, and in general everyone else seems really happy about the food and he is just about to sit down- wondering what on earth is going on, if he’s dreaming- overhearing Armin tell Mikasa no she couldn’t keep all the apple tarts to herself, yes he knows she loves them a lot, and yes he is aware they are Eren’s specialty and it’d been a long time since she’d last had them but everyone else needed to have one too- and wait…

Jean’s brain shuts down a bit.

A lot.

As he tries to comprehend what is meant by what Armin is saying.

Semi distracted by how impressed by how many and how fast Mikasa has shoveled the amount of apple tarts she has (still piping hot) into her mouth- Jean makes another attempt at sitting down-

When a certain very obnoxious and familiar angry figure (he knew the atmosphere was too nice, something terrible and rage inducing had been missing) bursts out from the kitchen, a pink apron donned on his figure-

“Mikasa! Everyone isn’t going to be able to have one if you only think of fulfilling your own desires-”

Eren.

It’s Eren.

Loser of the bet makes dinner all by himself for everyone for a night in a pink frilly apron Eren.

Jean is mid laugh at the sight when Eren hearing him whirls around, the frills of that apron whirling with him- scowling, without missing a beat-

“Jean. _You’re not allowed to eat until you’ve washed your hands._ ”

The laughter dies with a croak.

He has a really good comeback for that, he has a really good reason for not-

But then everyone is staring at him.

And the bowl of his stew Marco had saved for him at the seat Marco had saved for him- Eren has mercilessly confiscated.

(The stew that is, not the seat, though if it came into his head that would help too he'd confiscate the seat as well. The entire table.)

If Jean doesn’t wash his hands he won’t get to eat which means… someone else can eat that stew-

Sasha is kicked just as mercilessly to the floor, by Eren, who holding the stew will not allow anyone else to have it.

Jean is going to wash his hands.

Jean goes to wash his hands.

He’s not at all happy about it, he’d just spent a good hour washing. So what if everyone else touched the door handle?

Still scowling even after he had done as he’d been told, by goddamn Eren, the only person who could lose a bet, have to make dinner for everyone, in a pink apron- that was supposed to be humiliating! And still retain his usual what the fuck ever Jean there are more productive and crazy ways to benefiting society than what you want to do attitude, dignity whatever that Jean had to put up especially whenever they made eye contact.

But, Eren had been the guy who after facing getting knocked out multiple times by failing the 3D maneuver gear test still had the gall to go around begging _everyone_ to teach him how to use it. Of course once it’d been found out the gear itself was the problem and not Eren (Jean had a lot to say about that) then sure that had to be uplifting, but before then! How! How the absolute shit had-

_How had Eren made this stew._

Marco is nodding to him, smiling in agreement.

This is literally.

The best.

Fucking stew.

The best fucking food Jean has ever eaten.

And it’s gone. 

He only has half a blissful memory retained on how good it’d been because he just couldn’t stop himself from eating so fast, it’d been-

Had this really been made by the same ingredients they usually ate?

And why…

Why is Eren so good at cooking?!

Mikasa usually looks content when she’s by Eren’s side but tonight she’s practically beaming (the slight ease of her brow is a little less concerned, and she almost looks like she’s smiling- at a certain angle, a sorta smile that’s primarily and shamelessly covered in apple and pastry crumb). It’d been so long since she’d gotten to eat a meal cooked by Eren that tonight is like a dream, even if he is still rather cross with her for eating seven of the apple tarts. All at once.

If Armin hadn’t intervened and started passing out the apple tarts none would have been able to defeat her, none but her would have eaten Eren’s apple tarts. (Minus that one Sasha had managed to get, only because gravity had helped).

Apple tarts had been one of the first foods Eren had made when she’d started her new life at her new home with him and their parents. She’d thought mother had made them but apparently it’d been Eren who’d made them especially for her homewarming, she liked warm stuff right? She wanted something warm right? Winter was soon, so before the apples could rot, being just ripe- when else would they have been better to be cooked? Nothing had made her happier than eating those warm apple tarts in her warm scarf in her warm home with her warm Eren. Her family.

Mikasa had learnt how to cook many foods from her actual mother, but most involved meat, cutting and roasting it. Or fish. Such things like baking bread and cake, she often burnt them. But Eren is really good at it, so she could leave it to him. 

She’ll leave it to him.

She’ll help him wash the dishes tonight, she left him all alone in the kitchen when he’d been cooking (since he yelled at her that if she messed up his concentration it wasn't all going to get done in time) when surely she could have been of some use- coring those apples at least- he must be tired-

Many are tired from eating so much, not even for a holiday have they eaten this well.

Sasha is crying at Eren’s knees and hugging his legs, begging him to cook for them for the rest of their training, the rest of their lives (their very possibly short wow that took an ugly turn lives) she would sell her soul to the devil for this to be so.

Krista is telling her to not go that far, Ymir says to leave her be as Eren kicks her off of him.

Reiner tries to give Annie the apple tart Bertholdt had saved for her (it'd been his) but she passes it and gets an extra off Eren. Mikasa goes to help Armin with the many dirty dishes he’s started to gather and Jean doesn’t remember what they’d said about the loser and cleaning the mess after cooking dinner and starts begrudgingly to help clean up too. As if this is some cue- everyone who isn’t in some kind of food induced coma starts to help clean, as if this could convince Eren he should cook again. Every day.

Seriously.

Forever.

Other people are contemplating selling their souls to the devil when Macro makes a joke that Jean will just have to win more bets from now on and shit, everyone has turned to _him_ like he can make miracles happen.

Wasn’t that Eren’s forte?

\---

Eren’s forte is definitely cooking.

Whatever comment, whatever spiteful, half thought out thing Oluo had to say is muffled, and gone beneath his suddenly loud and then stifled (he didn’t want to be a pig dammit) eating.

Since Eren had been the one to kill the deer they’d figured it’d be alright to let him cook it. Mike would be able to tell right away from the scent if Eren is trying to poison them all. Petra doesn’t think he’d do anything like that. Eren is (despite many factors that might say otherwise) a really good kid.

If anything his cooking reflects that- his mom probably taught him all this, a certain obedience and love had to be tied with it, even with faults.

Some of the deer had been made into the stew, parts of it roasted, and parts of it saved to be made into jerky.

There is also dark bread. She’d been eating dark bread all her life but it’d never tasted this good. And there is honey too. When had Eren come across honey? Whatever tiny emotion of tenderness she felt for him (in the way older girls look at younger boys who are their peers as little brothers) it is full blown tonight.

No screw that, isn’t he single?

This food is so good she wouldn’t mind having it for the rest of her life.

Commander Erwin expresses this sentiment as well.

Joking that if Eren were a girl he certainly wouldn’t mind having him for his bride.

Petra thinks Erwin is rather ambitious. Does he want good food or a clean house? 

Having both is just-

She praises Eren on his cooking. Making sure her face is clean when she glances over at Captain Levi.

Captain Levi was already considered rather under height for someone of his age and stature, but next to the neatly stacked, towering, eaten clean bowls (and she never knew they had this many bowls until this day) he looks even more so.

He hasn’t said a word, and actions don’t always speak louder than words to him though he may drop the implication that they do; it all has to do with circumstance but he rather he be the only one who knew that, especially when the side you are on wasn’t his or one that he’d considered beneficial to himself and those who are actually on his side.

Gunther hasn’t taken a breath between bites, a compliment and many more bites, how he’s even breathing when he’s not at all Petra thinks needs scientific explanation, one they might have gotten if Hanji was here.

Petra is also pretty sure Erd has eaten an entire loaf of bread on his own.

Eren is still only on his first bowl and it doesn’t appear he’ll have seconds, not because they’ve ran out of food (how she wonders eyeing Corporal’s stack of bowls and the inhalers) but because-

“…thank you very much everyone. I suppose it isn’t bad.”

Eren looks a little disappointed.

This is when Petra realises from his comment and reaction that this is Eren’s cooking _subpar_. She begins to think what his cooking is like _when he succeeds_ \- that marriage proposal she'd been contemplating is about to fly out when Hanji bursts into the dinner room. Flippant apologies at being late said more to the wall than anyone actually present, but even after she’s sat down Eren doesn’t set her portion for her just yet.

First he asks-

“Ms Hanji, have you washed your hands?”

Nope.

Petra isn’t going to propose.

Erwin isn’t going to either.

In some way, every single person at the table be it straight out, from the corner of their eye, or in the reflection of the china of the cups- are now looking at Captain Levi who has finally ceased his measured, neat eating. Stopped cold as if he’d come across gold on the well traveled road of thieves. Captain Levi who is now looking intensely, directly at Eren who is still looking at Hanji waiting for her answer even though Hanji immediately had turned to look at Levi the moment those words had left Eren’s mouth.

Eren turns from Hanji a minute or so later, as if he’s only just noticed Levi’s attention on him, though judging by his delayed reaction he had been aware of it.

Hanji in her seat, scoots it a little farther into the table than necessary.

She tells Eren- “Of course I washed them. Wanna see?”

Presenting her hands before Eren.

Levi’s voice is only a little rough. Like he just woke up and is rather pissed off about it. But like he’ll be pissed off about it for the next millennium.

“Eren don’t touch them. Go wash, shitty glasses.”

Hanji gives a slight pout before scooting out of her chair. Far. Shrugging.

“Can’t fool anyone in the room when you’re here Levi. Getting really inconvenient.”

“Sometimes you’re really disgusting.”

Hanji waves her not that dirty but not clean hands from behind the doorframe she’s rounded out, into the kitchen where there’s water to wash up.

How.

How Captain Levi had managed in that moment to not stand up, and get on one knee before Eren and propose like they’d all been expecting from how scary he’d looked (still looks)- their Captain really is humanity’s strongest. 

Levi speaks to Eren again. Gaze direct as ever.

“Eren. It’s not bad. You can cook again.”

The only person present that appears composed (minus, always minus Hanji who is vigorously stuffing her mouth finally back from washing, ohhing and ahhing about the food around the food), the only person who doesn’t appear like they’re about to rocket through the roof or create a new river from their own sweat- is Commander Erwin who has been waiting for cake this whole time. He has tea with it despite the hour. Levi following suit.

It’s a blackberry cake, and never will Petra want to eat the blackberries they picked in any other form again.

Levi eats Hanji’s slice.

In a weak attempt at retaliation she points out he missed a spot on his cheek when he hadn’t, he just wipes his mouth. Completely unfazed.

Everyone. They could go to sleep right here at the table, when Captain Levi tells them to all fuck off to their rooms if they do want to sleep. Are they people or hibernating bears?

When he stands everyone else has to resist standing as well.

Levi helps gather the dishes for Eren. 

Captain is washing dishes with Eren who protests only a little, especially after the scolding he gets for not heating the water hot enough. They’re going to be here all night to do it properly if they have to.

Eren’s punishment is he has to make breakfast tomorrow.

And make the tea.

Levi doesn’t have anyone else but Eren prepare him tea after that morning.

It's like that for every morning they have together then on out.


End file.
